What Is The Church? - Part 3

For many, the church is synonymous with irrelevancy: an archaic institution inhabited by pallid and wispy clerics, mumbling feathery platitudes to an audience of women, children, and the feeble of mind and body.

Stephen Crosby

A Centre

A Church is a group of people who have a new centre of life-the person
of Jesus Christ. All of us have a center whether we realize it or not.
It may be broken or corrupt, but we have a centre. Your life centre is
the thing or the person to who you devote your time and energy,
especially recreational energy or free time. The centre for most young
people is the trinity of our age: sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Because of the worldview of the non-believer, it is difficult for them
to grasp the objective reality of Christ as a new centre. For the
modern mind all matters of religion (and life) are subjective and
pragmatic: if it works for you, it's ok, even if it does not have any
objective reality, actual existence. That is because the modern
"educated mind" has determined there can be no certainty concerning
truth and to claim certainty is considered ignorant and bigoted. (Of
course the modern mind is certain that there is no certainty-but I
will pass on that lest I digress too far and turn this into a
philosophy course!)

The notion that Christ is really, factually, objectively, alive and
can make Himself known to hu-manity is considered by many as a
neurosis or psychosis. The more kindly disposed consider all things
religious to be based on psychological need (if there was not a god,
weak people would create one for themselves out of their need) or (for
the material determinist) the result of a "religion gene" which some
of us possess and some do not. These are philosophical worldviews.

Science is wonderful. Scientism is not. Scientism is the worldview and
belief system that all knowledge must be subject to the methods of
science to be true knowledge; and furthermore, that the methods of
science will ultimately bring us to a complete understanding of all
things. It is an attempt to place every dimension of life under
humanity's cognitive domain. Knowledge attained by any other means
other than empirical science is not admitted as true.

Well, the true Church is the gathering of those who have discovered
that He is indeed both true and alive. They have been apprehended,
netted, caught, by Jesus Christ, and they will never be the same.

Bond & Placement

The anxiety of modern humanity is characterized in part by
non-connectedness: non-connectedness to self, others, and God. The
Church is divinely designed to meet the very primal need in human
psychology for belongingness. A healthy church environment should
provide individuals with:

Personal identity-a sense of authentic self (Biblically
defined)

A place of "belongingness"- authenticity with
others

A sense of purpose: "What am I here for and what
am I supposed to be doing?"

Identity

The secular seers and geniuses of previous generations promised a day
when technological advances would result in more leisure time,
releasing humanity into a life of greater ease and happiness. However,
the future has become the present and science and technology has
failed to deliver this Edenic promise. Depression is epidemic. Our
children are drugged. An entire industry (some would say conspiracy!)
of pharmaceutical companies psychiatrists, psychologists, self-help
gurus, and life coaches has emerged attempting to relieve the gnawing
inner pain of humanity, that a better washing machine is inadequate to
address. If life is so good, why are we in so much pain? After we
have had all the sex we can stand, spent all the money we can, and
gone to so many concerts that our ear drums are blown out, at the end
of the day, we are left with our selves. . . broken . . . and in pain.

When Christ pronounces over the sinner who believes: "I accept you,"
the fragmented, disinte-grated, and alienated self is bonded back
together by the love of God in a rush of amazing wonder. The "who am
I" question is answered by Christ with: "You are mine and I call you
by name." The metaphors of the old hymn writers are accurate: I find
the haven of rest. I am His, and I am home.

The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.

About Stephen Crosby

Dr. Crosby and his wife, Rita, have pioneered and pastored local churches in three states and ministered in churches, seminars, and Bible Schools in nations on four continents. They are currently Directors of Wave of Life Learning Centers and in itinerant apostolic-prophetic ministry.